Odometer for motor vehicles



Nov. 23, 1937. E. v. DARDANI ODQMETER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Original FiledJune 4, 1934 2 s s 1 INVENTOR. I BY 6%..

ATT NEY 1937. E. v. DARDANI 2,100,024

ODSJMETER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Original Filed June 4, 1934 2 SheetsSheet 2Mari-3 1 Erin r. Ilillllllll "14111114 i-i'fli li'IlllllllllilIINVENTOR.

AT NEY Patented Nov. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Originalapplication June 4,

1934, Serial N 728,951. Divided and this application December 15, 1934,Serial No. 757,661

11 Claims.

This invention relates to odometers for motor vehicles, and thisapplication is a division of my application Serial No. 728,951, filedJune 4, 1934.

The feature of this invention claimed herein is the provision of meansto indicate the distance traveled by the vehicle since it was laststopped. In many communities the laws or ordinances require a vehicle tocome to a complete stop at intersections, especially crossing orentrances to arterial highways. Frequently, officers and others at theseintersections mistakenly accuse drivers of failing to stop.

With the device of the present invention, the driver will be in positionto prove that the ve- 1 hicle was actually stopped by measuring thedistance from the stop line to the point at which the vehicle was haltedby the ofllcer, and comparing this with the indication on-theinstrument.

Likewise, should a vehicle have traveled only a short distance beforebeing involved in an accident, the driver may establish the ,fact thathe had traveled only the number of feet indicated on the instrument froma standstill.

Besides, the device of the present invention may be employed by thedriver to ascertain for himself the distance traveled while shiftinggears, so that he may be apprised of the rate of acceleration of thevehicle and be governed ac- 'cordin'gly..

To accomplish this, in the form of the invention herein illustrated,thereis provided a normally inactive distance counter which is set intoactionby the speed-responsive means in returning 3:, to zero position.According to the present invention, this distance counter maycontinue'to count the distance traveled until the car is again stopped,but, for practical purposes, it issufllcient for the distance counter togo out of operation after the vehicle has traveled a limited distanceforinstance,- one or two hundredfeet;

Other features and advantages willhereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation oftheinstrumentof the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig.6, omitting the drive shaft for'the distance counters.

Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the supporting plates in theinstrument, showing the distanceindicators as well as the other partsof. the 'present invention. I'Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showingthe mounting means for the auxiliary pointers,

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the means for initiating the operationof the counter which indicates the distance traveled immediatelyfollowing the stopping of the vehicle.

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view showing 5 the instrument of thepresent invention.

Fig. 7 is a view on an enlarged Scale of the mechanism for indicatingthe rate of deceleration of the vehicle.

Figs. 8 and 9 are like Fig. 5, but show various 10 relative positions ofthe means for controlling the connection of the distance counter to theactuator.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the instrument to which thepresent invention is 15 applied comprises a casing ill of cylindricalform having a back II and an open front covered by a glass l2 throughwhich the various indicators may be viewed. At its lower end, the casingis provided with the usual speedometer drive connection l3 having aflexible shaft coupling ll (see Fig. 6) connected to a vertical shaft ISon which there are pivotally mounted the usual weights i6 found incentrifugally operated speedometers. Slidably mounted on the shaft I 525 is a sleeve I! connected by links l8 to the weights It so that, asthe weights are thrown out by centrifugal force, the sleeve II will moveupwardly as shown in Fig. 2, and toward the left as shown in Fig. 6, andin accordance with the outward 3 movement of the weights.

The sleeve I! 'has a set of rings l9 forming gear teeth meshing with apinion 20 on a shaft 2|, the rings I9 maintaining engagement with thepinion 20 even though the sleeve rotates as 3 it is movedlongitudinally.

At one end, the shaft 2| is journaled in a bracket 22 (Fig. 7) extendingdownwardly from a cross bar 23 fastened in the casing by means of screws24,- and at its upper end is journaled in 40 the cross bar 23 and alsoin a bracket 25. Be tween the bracket 25 and the cross bar 23 the shafthas a gear 26. This meshes with a gear 21 on a shaft which carries themain speed indicator or pointer 29. The pointer 28 swings i5 aroundthecasing over a scale 30 provided on a plate 3! at the, front end of thecasing. Thus, as'the sleeve l1 moves upwardly as viewed in Fig. 2,the'pointer 29, through the pinion 20,

shaft 2|,-gears 26 and 21, and shaft 28, will'ro- 50 tate clockwise asviewed in Fig. 1, from a position of rest against a stop ila and thusindicate I the speed at which the vehicle is traveling.

" "I 'he shaft 26 for the pointer is journaled in a bearing 32 carriedby the bracket 2!.

spa

33 located between the weights and tending to move the weights towardthe shaft 15 return the pointer, shaft, and connected gearing to zeroposition on the scale against the stop 3la when the shaft l5 slows downand stops as the vehicle decelerates and comes to rest.

As is customary, the instrument of thepresent invention is provided witha row of totalizer wheels 34 having numerals showing through sightopenings 35 in the plate 3|. These wheels are supplied with the usualcarry-over mechanism not shown and with a driving train includ- .ing agear 36 actuated by a single tooth 31 driven,

as explained below, by a gear 62 meshing with a gear 63 on a shaft 38which is provided with a worm gear 39. The shaft 38 is journaled on aplate 40 located between the cross piece 23 and the plate 31 and has itsother 'end journaled in a bearing 4| on the back H. The worm gear mesheswith a worm 42 on the shaft I5. Thus, as the shaft I5 rotates, thesingle tooth gear 31 is rotated at slow speed and this rotation istransferred by the gear 35 to the odometer or main distance counter 34.

Also, as shown, the instrument to which the present invention is appliedis provided with a trip counter comprising a plurality of wheels 43having numerals showing thru sight openings 44 in the plate 3|. Theunits wheel is connected to a gear 45 on a tens wheel which meshes witha gear 45a driven by the single tooth 31 which drives the maindistancecounters 34,

As shown in my application Serial No. 728,951, filed June 4, 1934, the.instrument is provided with means for indicating the rate ofdeceleration of the vehicle by which it is carried.

For this purpose, the instrument is provided with a plurality ofauxiliary pointers 48a, 46b,

and 460. Each of these pointers is fastened to a separate sleeve 41, andthe sleeves are mounted one within the other as shown in Fig. 4. Attheir lower ends, each sleeve has a ratchet wheel, the ratchet wheel 48abeing connected through one of the sleeves 4'! to the pointer 46a andthe ratchet wheels 48b and 480 being connected by their respectivesleeves 41 to the pointers 46b and 460 respectively.

Each ratchet wheel 48a, 48b and 480 is provided with a hub 49 aboutwhich is wrapped a hair spring 50, the end of which is soldered orotherwise secured to a post 5|. These hair springs tend to move theauxiliary pointers toward zero position on the scale 30, and thus thepointers 46a, 45b and 460 may be said to be normally biased to return tozero position, 4

The auxiliary pointers are concentric with the main pointer 29 and theirends are located over the scale 30. When the vehicle containing theinstrument is started and accelerated, the auxiliary pointers will bepicked up by the main pointer by means of a one-way connection betweenthe main and auxiliary pointers.

In the form herein disclosed, this comprises a pin 52 projectingdownwardly from the main pointer and adapted to engage the one side ofthe auxiliary pointers. When, as shown, the pin is located on a radialline between the end of the main pointer and its shaft 28, the auxiliarypointers are provided with a depression 53a into which the pin mayextend so that when an auxiliary pointer is being carried forwardly oradvanced by the main pointer, the pointed ends of the two pointers willbe directly superposed.

The main pointer 29 continues to advance the auxiliary pointers so longas the car is being ac-,

celerated or is kept at constant speed. However, in order that thepointers may be held against'receding with the main pointer, each of theratchet. wheels 48a, 48band 480 is provided with a detent or pawl 53which prevents retrograde motion of its associated ratchet wheel andauxiliary pointer. Thus, immediately upon deceleration of the car, themain pointer moves away or recedes from the auxiliary pointers.

In order to indicate the rate of deceleration, the auxiliary pointersare released periodically and seriatim so that each may recede to theposition occupied at the moment by the main pointer. For this purpose,there are provided a plurality of release earns 54, one for each detent53. In the form shown, each trip cam 54 is provided with a plurality ofhigh-points 55 to cooperate with a follower portion 56 on the detent andthe highpoints on the respective cams are set arcuately, 30 in the formshown, where there are three highpoints on each cam, so that the detentswill be moved one after another to release their respective ratchetwheels.

The cams 54 are mounted on a shaft 51 having a bearing in the plate 40,and the lower end of the shaft is provided with a ratchet wheel 58prevented from retrograde motion by a back check pawl 59 and engaged bya pawl 60 whose lower end is pivoted eccentrically at (ii on the gear 62meshing with a gear 6311 on the worm gear shaft 38. The pawl is providedwith a spring 64 for holding it in engagement with the ratchet wheel 58.Thus, as the worm gear shaft 38 rotates, the gear 62 is also rotated,and for each revolution of the latter the ratchet wheel 58 is moved onestep. In this way, the cams 54 are moved step-by-step to periodicallyrelease the pointers seriatim for receding movement.

It will beunderstood, of course, that the frequencies with which thepointers are released may be varied as desired. Assuming, for thepurpose of illustration, that at each feet of travel of the vehicle onepointer is released and assuming that the vehicle was going at the rateof 68 miles an hour at the time of deceleration as indicated by theposition of the pointer 46a in Fig. 1, all of the auxiliary pointerswould be left at a position indicating 88 miles an hour as the mainpointer 28 receded. During'the continued travel of the vehicle, thehighpoint on one of the cams 54 would reach the detent 53 of one of theratchet wheels and release the ratchet wheel and its connected pointer.The released pointer will then be moved counterclockwise by its spring50 until it hasstruck the pin 52 on the main pointer 29 and the detent53 has again engaged its associated ratchet wheel.

The vehicle, in the case of the example illustrated in Fig. 1, wastraveling at 30 miles an hour at this time, and hence it is clearlyindicated that the vehicle was decelerated from 68 miles an hour to 30miles an hour in 50 feet or less.

After the vehicle has traveled another 50 feet, the highpoint of anothercam 54 will release another pointer, in the case illustrated the-pointer4G, and it will move to the position then occupied by the main pointer20miles per hour, in the example illustrated in Fig. 1.

If the car is stopped within another 50 feet, the pointer 46a in theexample shown, will not be disturbed, and it will be evident that thevehicle was brought from aspeed of 68 miles an hour to a standstill inless than 100 feet. If,

however, the vehicle had traveled more than 50 feet in the examplegiven, after the pointer 46 is released and set at its new position-at20 miles an hour, for instance-the pointer 46a would have been releasedand would have taken the position somewhere between 20 and 0,

and the instrument would indicate that within 100 feet from the point atwhich the car stopped the vehicle was traveling 30 miles per hour orless.-

Again, referring to the example shown in Fig. 1, if instead of coming toa stop the vehicle had been operated at 20 miles an hour for 100 feet ormore, the pointer 46a would have been released at the first 50 feet oftravel at 20 miles per hour and would take its position at 20" asdetermined by the main pointer 28, and then, at the next 50 feet oftravel, the pointer 46b would be released and become superposed at 20along with, the other three auxiliary pointers.

This same procedure will take place when the vehicle is starting up. Thepointer 46a, in the example, being the first to be released, will takeits position under the main pointer 28. Then, the pointer 46b will bereleased, and, likewise, take its position under the main pointer, andthe same will occur to the pointer 460, unless the vehicle had beenbrought to a speed in excess of 20 miles an hour in the case of thepointer 460, or 30 miles an hour in the case of the pointer 46b, within150 feet of travel, in which case the pointers would be picked up andcarried along by the main pointer.

Thus it will be seen that by means of the auxiliary pointers 46a, 46band 460 the driver of the vehicle may establish a speed at which he wasgoing within 100 feet of the point at which he stopped, and also thespeed at which he was going after having traveled between 50 and 100feet from the point of deceleration. In the event that the car isabruptly stopped, as in the case of an accident, .the pointer 46a, 46b,or 46c which is not on zero position but nearest zero position, willshow a speed at or below which the vehicle was traveling at the time itstopped.

The feature of this invention claimed in the divisional applicationrelates to means for indicating how far the car has been driven after ithas been last stopped.

For this purpose, there is provided by the present invention, anauxiliary distance counter comprising a dial having numerals showingthrough a sight opening 66 in the plate 3|. According to the presentinvention, the distanceindicator 85 may be made up or a plurality of.

wheels like the trip counter 43, but, for practical purposes, it issuflicient to employ only one wheel graduated from 10" to 100 andindicating feet. Consequently, the present invention provides theauxiliary distance counter so that it ceases to operate after thevehicle has traveled 90 feet and remains inoperative or inactive untilthe vehicle is again stopped.

For this purpose, the disk or wheel 65 is fixed to a shaft 61 which isprovided with a gear wheel 68 having star-shaped teeth and'having two ofv the teeth removed so as to provide a space or gap 69 in which thestar-shaped teeth of the driving gear 18 may be operated without turningthe wheel 68. The driving gear 10 is mounted on/ a shaft H to which isfastened a gear 12 meshing-with the gear 63a on the worm gear shaft 88.Thus, during the travel of the vehicle, the gear 12 and gear I. operatecontinuously but have no effect on the gear 68 when the latter stands atzero position as shown in Fig. 5.

To bring the counter 65 into operation, there is provided on the gear 26an arm 13 in position to strike against an arm 14 carried by the shaft61 for the counter 65. This arm 13 is located on the gear 26 in suchposition that when the gear moves clockwise and returns to its normal orzero position, it will strike against the arm 14 and move the latterwith its gear 68 counterclockwise to bring the first tooth thereon intoposition to engage the teeth on the gear 18. The gear 18 is not rotatingat this time because the vehicle is stopped. However, when the vehicleagain begins to move forward, the rotation of the gear 18 in clockwisedirection will be transferred to the gear 68 and counter 65 moving thenumbers thereon continuously past the sight opening 66 until the gap 69is again positioned opposite the driving wheel ill in which position itis held by a detent spring 15 acting on a ratchet wheel 16. I

When the vehicle stops, the arm 13 moves the arm 14 to the left asviewed in Fig. 5, causing the gear '68 to mesh with the operating gear18. When the vehicle resumes travel, the gear 10 will drive the gear 68counterclockwise and thus move the arm I4 away from the arm 13. If thevehicle proceeds at a very slow rate at a time when the dial 65 isapproaching maximum, the arm 14, coming completely around, may strikethe right side of the arm 13 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, andthus be in position to be struck when the arm 13 is moving to the right,which would occur if the vehiclev were speeded up. This would not,however, prevent the speedindicating device from operating when thevehicle is speeded up because, when the gears 68 and 18 are in theposition shown in Fig. 5, the pressure of the arm 18 against the arm 14would turn the gear 68 backwardly and permit the end of the arm 14 toslip under the end of the arm 13, as indicated in Fig. 8. As soon as thearm 14 is clear of the arm 13, the gear 68 would be returned to itsnormal inactive position by the gear 10.

However, since the teeth on the gears might stop as shown in Fig. 9,delaying for the moment the operation of the speed indicator, the arm 13may be made sufficiently resilient to bend, so that its lower end willpass over the top of the arm 14 when the arm 13 is moved to the right asshown in Fig. 9. For this purpose, therarm 13 is made comparatively thinand is carried by a heavy relatively stiff arm 13a. The connectionsbetween the arms 13 and 13a are such that when the arms move to the leftas viewed in Fig. 5 to move the mutilated gear 68 into driving position,the arm 13 does not yield;- it only yields when it moves to the rightand encounters the arm 14 on the right side of the latter.

Frequently it is necessary to establish that one has stopped at the\designated point, for instance at the entrance to an arterial highway.With the device of the present invention, if the driver has in factstopped, he can establish the distance which he has traveled from thestopping point when halted by an oificer or otherwise. By measuring thedistance from the stop line to the point where the car was halted andascertaining the reading of the auxiliary distance counter 65,

tance traveled;

invention is useful and advantageousto the operator of the car, for hemay ascertain the distance traveled While shifting gears and maydetermine the rate of acceleration from the auxiliary distance counterin conjunction with the speed indicator 29.

It should be distinctly understood that the present invention is notlimited to the specific kind or type of speedometer herein illustrated,and that variations and modifications may be made within the scope ofthis invention and portions of the improvements may be used withoutothers.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and forwhich it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, is:-

1. In an odometer for motor vehicles, the combination of meansresponsive to the speed of the vehicle; normally inoperative means forindicating, up to a predetermined distance, the distance traveled;operating means therefor; and means operating by the return of thespeed-responsive means to zero position upon the stopping of the vehiclefor conditioning the said distance-indicating means for operation bysaid operating means to indicate, upon resumption of travel of thevehicle, the distance covered since the vehicle was last stopped.

2. In an odometer for motor vehicles, the combination of meansresponsive to the speed of the, 'vehicle; normally inoperative means forindicating, up to a predetermined distance, the distance traveled;operating means therefor; means op erating upon the stopping of thevehicle for conditioning the said distance-indicating means foroperation by said operating means to indicate,

upon resumption of travel of the vehicle the dis- I tance covered sincethe vehicle was last stopped; and means whereby said distance-indicatingmeans becomes inoperative after a predetermined distance has beentraveled since the vehicle Was last stopped.

3. In an odometer for motor vehicles, the combination of operatingmeans; means operated by the latter and in accordance with the speed ofthe vehicle; a counter for indicating the distance traveled; meansoperated by said opcrating means in accordance with the disand meansoperated by the second-named means on the return of the latter to zeroposition when the vehicle is stopped for conditioning said counter foroperation by the distance-operated means so that said counter willindicate the distance traveled up to a predetermined point upon theresumption of travel of the vehicle.

4. In an odometer for motor vehicles, the combination of operatingmeans; means operated by the latter and in accordance with the speed'ofthe vehicle; a counter for indicating, up to a predetermined distance,the distance traveled; gearing for operating said counter and normallyout of driving relation with said first-named means; and means operatedby the second-named means upon stopping of the vehicle to bring saidgearing into driving relation with the first-named means.

5. In an odometer for motor vehicles, means operated by the travel ofthe vehicle; means for indicating, up to a predetermined distance, thedistance traveled adapted to be actuated by said operating means butnormally disconnected therefrom; and means operated as an incident tothe cessation of movement of the vehicle and the said operating meansfor operatively connecting said distance-indicating means to saidoperating means to be actuated thereby when the vehicle and saidoperating means resumes movement.

6. In an odometer for motor vehicles, means operated by the travel ofthe vehicle and including an operating gear; means for indicating, up toa predetermined distance, the distance traveled including an indicatorand a gear connected to rotate together, said operating gear andindicator gear being normally out of mesh; and means operated as anincident to the cessation of movement of the vehicle and said operatingmeans for causing said operating gear and said indicator gear to meshwhereby the indicator and its gear will be rotated by the operating gearwhen the vehicle and said operating means again resumes movement.

'7. In an odometer for motor vehicles, means operated by the travel ofthe vehicle and including an operating gear; means for indicating, up toa predetermined distance, the distance traveled including an indicatorand a mutilated gear connected to rotate together; means for normallyholding the mutilated portion of said indicator gear adjacent saidoperating gear so that the indicator and the indicator gear remainnormally inactive; and means operated upon cessation of movement of thevehicle and said operating means for rotating said indicator gear tobring the teeth on the latter in position to mesh with the operatinggear whereby the indicator and its gear will be rotated by the operatinggear when the vehicle and said operating means again resumes movement.

8. In an odometer for motor vehicles, speed responsive means; meansoperated by the travel of the vehicle for operating saidspeed-responsive means; means for indicating, up to a predetermineddistance, the distance traveled adapted to be actuated by said operatingmeans but normally disconnected therefrom; and means operated by saidspeed-responsive means upon cessation of travel of the vehicle orconnecting said distance-indicating means to said operating means to beactuated thereby when the vehicle and said operating means resumemovement.

9. In an odometer for motor vehicles, speedresponsive means; meansoperated by the travel of the vehicle for operating saidspeed-responsive means, and including an operating gear; means forindicating, up to a predetermined distance, the distance traveledincluding an indicator and a gear connected to rotate together, saidoperating gear and indicating gear being normally out of mesh; and meansoperated by said speed-responsive means upon cessation of travel of thevehicle for causing said operating gear and said indicating gear to meshwhereby the indicator and its gear will be rotated by the operating gearwhen the vehicle and said operating means again resumes movement.

10. In an odometer for motor vehicles, speedresponsive means; meansoperated by the travel of the vehicle for operating said speed,responsive means and including an operating gear;

means for indicating, up to a predetermined dis-' means for indicating,up to a predetermined disarm and connected to rotate with said indicatorgear to move the latter so as to bring the teeth thereon in position tomesh with the operating gear whereby the indicator and its gear willberotated by the operating gear when the vehicle and said operating meansagain resumes movement.

11. In an odometer for motor vehicles, speedresponsive means; meansoperated by the travel of the vehicle for operating saidspeed-responsive means, and including an operating gear;

operated by said speed-responsive means upon cessation of movement ofthe vehicle and said operating means; and an arm operated by saidfirst-named arm and connected to rotate with said indicator gear to movethe latter so as to bring the teeth thereon in position to mesh with theoperating gear whereby the indicator and its gear will be rotated by theoperating gear when the vehicle and said operating means again 'resumemovement, said indicator gear returning to startingposition andpresenting its mutilated portion to the operating gear and its arm inposition to be engaged by the arm on the speedresponsive means after theresumed travel of the vehicle has continued for a predetermineddistance.

' EDWARD V. DARDANI.

